1996Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1996 election for Illinois's 5th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Rod Blagojevich (D) won with 64.1% of the vote, defeating Michael Flanagan (R) by 28.2 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Rod BlagojevichDemocrat · winner
64.1%117,544
Michael FlanaganRepublican
35.9%65,768
183,326 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Rod BlagojevichMichael Flanagan
$1.5M
Raised by the campaign
$750.5K
$1.6M
Spent by the campaign
$735.5K
$16.5K
Cash on hand
$11.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996